


Getting Drop Kicked by the Force

by RoseThorn14



Series: Star Wars Tumblr Prompts [3]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, BAMF Finn (Star Wars), BAMF Mace Windu, BAMF Poe Dameron, BAMF Rey, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, Jedi, Jedi Finn (Star Wars), M/M, Minor Character Death, Protective Obi-Wan Kenobi, Respecting Jedi Culture, Rey Kenobi, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, at least, may change - Freeform, that’s what’s planned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:21:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25051612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseThorn14/pseuds/RoseThorn14
Summary: Poe really shouldn't have touched that stone.Really, he should have known it would lead to them being shunted back in time.He really didn't need this.But at least he had Finn (and the rest of their team) with him.And getting his friends proper Jedi Masters was a definite plus.---Or my excuse to have Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet my sequel babies.---inspired by a prompt by realityhoudiniIt has gotten out of hand.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Finn & Mace Windu, Finn & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Jessika Pava/Rey, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Mace Windu
Series: Star Wars Tumblr Prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812007
Comments: 100
Kudos: 802
Collections: Jedi-Friendly





	1. The Force Takes Us On A Trip (In Our Favourite Rocket Ship. Not Really Though)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry to realityhoudini. Your prompt got out of hand.
> 
> And now I have another wip.
> 
> This fic ignores the events of the last two movies. After TFA, Rey convinces Luke to come back to Resistance and they continue fighting the war.

Poe knew that touching the stone was a stupid decision.

Really, even as he was reaching out to touch the weirdly carved symbol on the large stone jutting out into the room, he was telling himself not to do it.

In his defence, Luke had told all of them that Finn and Rey weren't allowed to touch anything weirdly carved in the Temple. He hadn't said anything about Poe.

It was a simple mission; the simplest one he'd ever had. Go into the weird old Jedi Temple. Take a few holos. Go home.

Really, it was just to get them off base and doing something; a distraction.

Chewie hadn't been adjusting well to Solo's death. Even eight months later, he growled at everyone except Rey, General Leia and Finn, at the drop of a hat.

Rey was on edge from Luke's not-really training (and, really, Poe could sympathise with her. It must have been hard being assigned to sit alone in a forest for hours instead of learning how to fight when every time they stepped onto a battlefield, their comrades were dying in droves.) Though, Luke's refusal to train her hadn't stopped Rey from learning a bunch of battle changing tricks herself.

Plus, she and Jessika had been spending much of their spare time looking for information on Rey's parents. From what Poe had heard the last news hadn't been good. The two had been planning on going on a trip back to Jakku when they got a chance. That was until…

Well that was just another reason they were stuck with _this_ assignment wasn't it?

Finn was still reeling from the debacle at the _last_ Temple they had been sent to investigate. Him and Rey had activated s _omething_ that had caused both of them to glow as they were thrown into a Force Vision which had apparently helped reveal him as Force Sensitive.

As soon as he'd gotten back to base, he'd been set off on similar exercises to Rey, but they'd all seen how Luke seemed to pay extra attention to him. Poe had been part of more than one late night invasion of the training rooms where both of them had passed the Skywalker lightsaber back and forth, attempting to follow the katas written out in one of the books that Rey had pilfered from the Temple they'd been in.

And Poe? Well Poe was just tired. They all were really.

The last world the First Order had invaded was Yavin 4. His father hadn't survived.

He didn't know how much longer he could take it. How much longer they could all take it.

They were losing. They all knew it. More and more Republic planets were siding with the First Order, their leaders choosing to bow and save themselves the expenses rather than fight. Their funds were waning, and they were losing too many people. Every battle, every retrieval, hell, every relief mission, was turning into a disaster. More than half their fighters were refugees.

Every day, they got news of the First Order progressing, or Rey and Finn would feel the pulse of another Force User dying, the last remnants of the Jedi Order being eradicated as the First Order and the Knights of Ren spread their influence throughout the galaxy.

Soon, there would be nothing left but darkness.

So, yeah, Poe kind of needed the break.

"You should take it!"

"Luke would want you to have it."

"You're better with it! You've had more practice."

"You already have better control than me."

"That is _not_ true."

Poe shared an eye roll with Chewie as BB-8 trilled in annoyance.

This was a familiar back and forth that Rey and Finn had been having over the last few missions. Neither of them wanted to take the Skywalker lightsaber with them.

It would be funny watching two supposed Jedi fighting over who should _not_ have a lightsaber, if it wasn't so irritating.

"I'm better with a blaster!"

"Well, I'm better with my staff and that's a melee weapon, so I'm already covered in close combat."

Finn faltered at that argument, taking a second to search for something to combat that leap in logic whilst Rey waited with a raised eyebrow. Poe huffed and strode forward, closing Finn's hand around the saber.

"Come on, Finn. Rey's more stubborn than you. And she won the argument. Let's just get this over with."

Finn huffed. "She's far more powerful than me - you saw what she did on Dandoran. _She_ should have the lightsaber."

Rey scowled. "You're the better Jedi. You have better control. Luke's going to formally claim you as his padawan any day now. He's been showing you katas four times a week for almost a month."

"You've learnt more than me _on your own._ You're the better Jedi."

"Luke thinks I'm a ticking time bomb and he's right. They're just hoping I blow up in the Order's faces not their own."

With that, she strode into the temple, Chewie lumbering on behind her with BB-8 trailing behind with a few sad beeps.

Finn sighed and Poe bumped their shoulders, threading the fingers of their free hands together.

"Give her time. She's still recovering from..."

Finn swallowed. "I know. But she didn't lose control. I felt it. She didn't go dark. She reined herself in and got the job done."

Poe squeezed his partner's hand. "Dandoran was… a mess. And what she did was amazing. But I get why it scared her."

Finn frowned and shrugged, making to walk off after Chewie, BB-8 and Rey, but Poe tugged him back.

"Do you know who else was amazing on Dandoran? You were. Cutting the wing off a TIE fighter mid-air and not dying from the fall was incredibly hot."

With how close they were, Poe could see the way the praise made his partner's cheeks heat up and Finn smiled into the quick kiss they shared before they followed the rest of their team inside.

Their argument ended up being moot, because in the third room they entered, Rey summoned an object to her hand, obviously sensing something weird with it.

Finn hummed in interest when he saw the saber. It's hilt was much longer than the Skywalker saber's and when Rey held it in both her hands, a blade emitted from each end, one a pale blue and one gold.

She gasped swinging the blade through the air before her eyes widened, as she twisted her hands and the saber came apart into two.

"I didn't even know you could make sabers like this," she whispered, powering down the sabers so that she could test the mechanism locking them together without risk of burning herself.

She closed her eyes and grew very still for a few moments before she came back to herself with a light shiver.

"The Master left it here knowing someone would need it."

Finn grinned at her, patting her on the shoulder. "See? You've got control of _that_ ability now. I don't even know how you do it."

Rey wrinkled her nose.

"Yes… Luke's instructions on how to strengthen my shields really helped with that… and the meditation on controlling both my powers and my emotions didn't hurt either," she admitted grudgingly.

Poe sent his boyfriend a proud smile when didn't gloat as they all moved into the next room, still looking for the runes that Luke and General Leia had asked them to take holos of.

Eventually, they got to the room they were looking for and Chewie and Poe were left to twiddle their thumbs whilst BB-8, Rey and Finn started pouring over the walls.

That was until Poe had touched the stupid rune.

He really knew he messed up when Finn and Rey had snapped their heads around half a moment before his fingers had brushed it, both of them calling out for him to stop, but by that point it had been too late.

The world around him had filled with a blinding light, and, when his vision cleared, they weren't alone in the room anymore.

He jumped away from the man that had materialised beside him. He was in armour that would have made him reach for his blaster if it wasn't painted blue. Nevertheless, he stumbled back a few steps before an unseen Force shoved him behind Finn and Rey, who had both assumed defensive stances.

He didn't know which one of them had moved him, but he wasn't fazed by it; he'd had to get used to getting manoeuvred by invisible hands when he'd started fighting regularly alongside Finn and Rey, neither of whom were afraid to use their powers to move their allies out of the way of danger if they could.

It didn't bother him. Honestly? It was kind of a thrill.

There were five other men dressed in similar armour, though three of them had gold paint, whilst the last two were wearing significantly less protection with their weird robes that kind of reminded him of Luke. In the back, near the doorway, was a young Togrutan female as well as an older human female around Poe's age clutching a blaster.

The Togrutan and the man in black robes ignited lightsabers whilst the other men raised their blasters.

The last man in the beige robes and the light upper body armour glanced at the man beside him with a disapproving frown.

"Now, now. We don't need to resort to violence right away."

"Who are you?" the dark robed one with a scar over one of his eyes growled, ignoring his companion.

They all stood there gaping. The last thing they'd expected to see was people with lightsabers. At least not ones that weren't red.

Poe glanced between Finn and Rey. Neither of them had gone for their lightsabers, instead Finn had raised his blaster whilst Rey was brandishing her spear. To be fair, he'd never seen Finn miss a shot and had once watched as Rey knocked out ten storm troopers with her staff within fifteen seconds.

Both of his Jedi were frozen, staring at the image in front of them with blank expressions.

Intellectually, they all knew that there had to be a _few_ other Jedi in the galaxy, but any ones that hadn't already been killed should be impossible to find unless they had the protection of the Resistance at their backs, and the only ones who did were Finn, Rey and Luke.

For once, Poe was the first to recover in a social situation. He was good at back alley deals and criminal underworld politics - he'd had to be with the sheer number of undercover missions he was send on - but Rey and Finn had this quality about them that could sway any opponent. Years in the First Order under countless temperamental commanding officers had taught Finn just how to react to deescalate any interaction and the genuine kindness that Rey met every situation with, hiding her sharp, calculating mind completely disarmed almost anyone they met. That was, unless they were on the battlefield. Then, they were terrifying.

He drew himself up, tilting his chin back confidently in a way that he'd learnt to do whenever he was met with a more powerful opponent. "I think we should be the ones asking the questions since we were here first. You just appeared out of thin air."

Chewie let out a garbled roar and Rey nodded in acknowledgement.

Poe really needed to learn Shyriiwook. They had all worked together on nearly every mission since Finn and Rey had joined the Resistance - he was fairly sure they were officially considered a team in the official records. Finn and Rey had been promoted to the rank of Commander, and Chewie had been given it as soon as he formalised his commitment to the Resistance.

"The Force is… different now," Rey murmured, her face an impassive frown.

She'd gotten better at controlling her expression over the past few months. Maybe all the meditation was helping with that. Though, Poe would never suggest that to her.

Finn glanced at her, before taking half a step back and closing his eyes. A moment later, he jerked, letting out a gasp. Poe stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Finn gave him a small smile as he leaned slightly into the touch.

"It's… so much lighter," he murmured, is voice thick with awe.

Rey hummed in agreement. "More full at least. There are just… so many lights."

Less than a moment later, she shook her head, snapping her gaze towards the people in front of them.

"Something… very strange has happened," she announced and Poe sighed internally.

He really shouldn't be surprised by weird Force shit when he spent most of his time around Jedi. He definitely couldn't complain when he was actually dating one.

The man in the dark robes frowned as he powered down his lightsaber, the young Togrutan in the back doing the same for her green one and her smaller, yellow one.

The red-haired Jedi and the dark robed one shared a glance.

"I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, High General of the GAR, and this is General Anakin Skywalker. We may be able to assist you."

Poe felt himself freeze.

"Oh shit."

Finn and Rey glanced back at him, their eyes wide with similar realisation.

Finn turned back to them. "If you're Obi-Wan Kenobi… and you're Anakin Skywalker, that would mean…"

"We travelled back in time," Rey finished for him, her voice barely above a whisper.

Poe instinctively wanted to deny it. Time travel was crazy. There was no way.

But the group in front of them looked pretty darn solid.

And the man in front of him wasn't wearing a black helmet.

So it was the only logical conclusion.

Calling time travel logical seemed like a juxtaposition.

This should be impossible.

Chewie let out a roar, and Poe didn't have to know Shyriiwook to understand the gist of what he was saying. This was fucked.

"Excuse me?" Kenobi asked, arching an eyebrow.

Skywalker snarled, "You expect us to believe that?"

Chewie grumbled and leant back against the wall, striking up a quiet conversation with BB-8, which consisted entirely of them complaining at each other, from what he could hear from BB-8's replies.

Finn, Poe and Rey glanced at each other, all of them trying to think of the right thing to say. It needed to be something that would prove that they were from the future, something they couldn't have known if they lived in the time they were currently in, but it couldn't be something that would side track this conversation too much.

So no bombshells. Like the Emperor. Or Darth Vader. Or the Genocide of the Jedi.

Right.

Rey inclined her head downwards and Finn grasped at his belt. He raised his eyebrows and tilted his chin. Poe nodded, signing a quick agreement with Rey's plan.

Finn sighed, and unclipped the metal cylinder from his belt.

"This is your lightsaber," he said, looking at Skywalker. "The one you're holding right now."

He held it flat in his palm, allowing Skywalker to easily summon it to his hand, comparing it to the identical weapon he'd already been holding. The man closed his eyes for a few seconds, grimacing.

"It's the same saber," he announced when he opened his eyes, his tone more subdued than before. "But the crystal doesn't recognise me anymore."

He nodded at Finn, holding the weapon out.

"It likes you though."

Finn blinked as he summoned the weapon back to his hand. "Uh… thank you?"

Rey shot him a smug grin and Finn rolled his eyes.

General Kenobi frowned, putting a hand on his chin.

"So we do have… visitors from the future."

BB-8 trilled angrily and Poe cringed.

Rey blew out a sharp breath. "She's right. It seems our way back has been destroyed as well."

She gestured to the now cracked stone, that Poe had just touched.

Yep, they were royally screwed.

Kriffing Jedi bullshit.


	2. Obi-Wan Just Wanted to Nerd Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan did not expect this to happen.

Time travellers from the future were just about the last thing that Obi-Wan expected to find when he decided to investigate the ancient temple.

They had been taking a break from their journey to a remote Mid-Rim planet, where the senators would be meeting with a delegation from the neutral systems to attempt to negotiate possible alliances and trade routes. Personally, he thought that having an escort of two companies, two padawans and four Jedi was a bit of overkill, but he recognised that this would probably be a prime target for the Separatists if information about it got out, and it almost certainly would.

Plus, he was fairly sure Yoda was trying to either punish them all by forcing them to endure what was sure to be a long and tedious round of diplomatic talks, or force them all to take a break with what was, on paper, a fairly easy mission, as their only job was to make sure that all the senators were safe, rather than to actually oversee any of the negotiations. Really, it was the closest thing to a rest they could get since the Senate was getting exceedingly reluctant to allow the Jedi and their troops have leave; but this assignment had the added bonus of allowing all their battalions leave, with Alderaan having generously offered space on their planet for the battalions to rest whilst their generals were otherwise occupied.

They'd touched down on what was logged as an uninhabited planet so that the senators could stretched their legs and they could use the oceans to restock their water supplies, as the fancy model of ship used as the senator transport did not have a large enough reserve space to last the whole trip. 

The ExplorCorps had noted in the planet's profile that there was an ancient temple, with some old carvings throughout it and, of course, Obi-Wan had wanted to take a look. Senator Amidala had readily agreed as well as Bail, though the other senators in the delegation had seemed disinterested in the prospect of examining old Jedi architecture at best, or scared at worst.

So, Mace and Luminara stayed with the great majority of senators and Obi-Wan and Anakin took themselves and a small delegation of clones to the ruins.

They'd eventually gotten to a room filled with carvings, that had a large stone in the middle of it. Having studied the particular ancient dialect printed in runes on the walls during his youth, Obi-Wan was immediately distracted. So distracted, that he only came back to himself when Anakin let out a sharp reprimand that had Fives pausing, his fingertips bare inches from the stone in the middle of the room.

A second later, there was a flash of light and now, Obi-Wan was staring at a group of time travellers from the _future,_ at least two of which had access to the Force; future Jedi if their lightsabers were an accurate indicator, though both of them had shields much more fragile than Obi-Wan would expect from Jedi of their ages, even if they were still padawans - though he noticed that neither of them bore a braid of any kind.

Before any of them could comment, Obi-Wan's comm buzzed.

_"Master Kenobi,"_ Mace's voice floated through it, as level as ever to anyone who didn't know him well - but Obi-Wan did, would even consider Mace one of his closest friends at this point in the war, and he could hear the slight edge in his voice, _"Can you think of any reason why a light freighter just appeared out of thin air?"_

The Wookie garbled out a happy, " _She's here!"_

Just as he spoke, the human male who had appeared closest to the stone breathed a relieve sigh. "The Falcon came with us."

The woman's - girl, really, she was clearly younger than even Anakin was - eyes widened.

"That's the Millenium Falcon," she informed them, her accent a weird mixture of Core with hints of Outer Rim at the edges. "Tell them not to attempt to enter it. It's biolocked and booby-trapped. Anyone who attempts to get in will be repelled with extreme force."

Obi-Wan blinked.

"Did you hear that?" he asked into his wrist.

_"Yes… Who was that?"_

Obi-Wan winced internally. This was going to be a headache.

"We will explain when we meet up with you. There is a lot to we need to discuss. Don't worry, though, they are not hostile," he looked between the group as he said the last part, meeting each of their eyes and seeing them nod slightly in agreement.

There was a pause, and Obi-Wan could hear the restrained sigh behind Mace's almost monotone, _"Copy that, Master Kenobi. Master Unduli and I will be awaiting your explanation."_

Obi-Wan held back a sigh as he looked up at the room around him. Bail, who had wisely ducked behind the wall when the lightsabers had been drawn, (in direct contrast to Senator Amidala, who had pulled out a blaster that had been concealed in her dress and levelled in time with the troopers who were meant to be protecting her) stepped into the doorway. Everyone else had lowered their weapons, though no one had sheathed them.

This was meant to be an easy mission.

"I suggest we all take our leave of this place," he suggested. "The temple will surely send some archivists and rune experts to investigate soon, but we do not want accidentally activate anything else in the meantime."

He nodded at the now cracked stone. "As you said, that artifact can no longer be activated now that it's runes have been destroyed. I'm afraid you may be stuck here for some time… perhaps indefinitely."

A maelstrom of fear terror worry _sadness_ filled the Force around them before Obi-Wan physically felt shields slam into place around not only the two Jedi, but the entire group.

"Apologies," the male Jedi grimaced. "Shielding is… a new concept for us. Rey is better than me."

The girl - Rey, Obi-Wan guessed - rolled her eyes as she finally relaxed her stance, placing the butt of her staff on the ground and leaning against it. "I lost control just like you did, _Finn._ If anything, my slip was more of a disappointment since I've had more time to practice."

The man standing behind them shook his head and crossed his arms whilst the Wookie looked up at the city with a wordless groan. Both gestures went ignored by the Jedi.

"A whole six _months_ more," Finn sniped back. "And weren't you just saying that I've gotten more direct teaching than you?"

Rey narrowed her eyes. "Two months is not nearly enough training to expect perfection."

Finn opened his mouth, but the other man stepped forward before he could reply, putting a hand on each of their shoulder's. "You both kriffed up. Deal with it. You're being rude… and aren't you meant to be the diplomatic ones? The general's lessons aren't going to waste are they?"

That immediately shut both of them up. Finn glanced down at the ground, whilst the indignation on Rey's face cleared to a blank mask.

She visibly checked herself as she returned her attention back to their group, nodding deeply.

"We're very sorry. We are not at our best… it has been a trying few weeks for us."

Obi-Wan's tongue stuck in his throat, still trying to make sense of that assault. The Force signatures, which had previously been dull - so subdued that they had barely been bright enough for Obi-Wan to label them as Force Sensitive. However, with the wave of emotion, there had also been another change in the Force around them, like a veil pulling away from their very beings.

Finn's signature had glowed bright; a beautiful shining light that had warmed the Force around it. Rey's, on the other hand, hit him like an ion canon, the pulsing supernova filling the room, so overwhelming that it rivalled Anakin's when he lost control.

"Wait," Anakin said. "Did you just say that you've been training for _eight months_?"

Obi-Wan's stomach twisted. If that was true, the two in front of them were very impressive; very impressive but very troubling.

Rey grimaced. "Yes… I know it is taking me a long time to gain control. I'm working on it… Meditation is beginning to help."

Finn grinned whilst the other man snorted. Rey pursed her lips but didn't comment. 

The man between the Jedi stepped forward, smiling openly. "My name is Poe Dameron. The Wookie over there is called Chewbacca, the astromech is BB-8, and Rey and Finn just introduced themselves."

"And you're from the future," Ahsoka finished for him, and, when Obi-Wan glanced back at her, he saw that her eyes were wide.

Poe nodded. "Just over fifty years if I'm remembering my galactic history correctly."

Finn and Rey nodded in agreement.

"Right," Obi-Wan said, his mind whirling with the thoughts. "Why don't we return to our transport? We will need to contact the Jedi Council about this and we can decide what to do with you there… And I think we need to have a talk."

The three humans glanced at each other, before they nodded.

"That sounds good," Finn replied.

Everyone stayed tense as they started walking, with Obi-Wan hanging back, nearest to the group of time-travellers, who all stuck closely together.

He felt the Force shift around the group, tunnels opening up between them; mental channels that were clumsy but strong.

The mental conversation that took place was remarkably well shielded, but Obi-Wan still caught a few stray thoughts that were broadcasted with especial passion.

_'We could stop it! Stop it all!'_ the thought floated from Poe.

_'I agree - but we need to do this carefully,'_ Finn replied.

It was quiet for a few more minutes and then one of Rey's thoughts slipped out, _'We need to do this right. We obviously can't tell Skywalker anything. From what General Leia told me of her father, he wouldn't be able to handle it. He's too erratic.'_

The few other stray thoughts that slipped out were patchy, and it was difficult to tell just who they came from.

_'Organa! Definitely. The general's dad was brilliant! Is brilliant I guess because we're not letting Alderaan…'_

_'Amidala?'_

_'Kenobi should be good too.'_

By the time they got back to the ships, Obi-Wan's thoughts were swirling with the implications of their conversation.

Something very bad had happened in the future. Something awful enough that there was no one to train two fully realised Force Users. One of which was so powerful that Obi-Wan was having trouble figuring out how she'd survived so long by herself.

Mace was waiting for them when they got there, his eyes widening as he saw the new group with them.

"We need to talk," he said, his voice flat.

"We do," Obi-Wan agreed looking back at the group. "There must be things you want to tell us."

Rey swallowed. "Yes. We have proof of everything on our ship. History books and records and stuff like that."

Obi-Wan glanced around, noting the way that the group had tensed. He needed to find out what was going on. Now.

"Anakin, why don't you and Ahsoka help Master Unduli and Padawan Offee oversee the senators. Mace and I can interview our… visitors and contact the Council. Hopefully, we can get his all sorted out in a timely manner."

After a second, he also inclined his head towards Bail. "Senator Organa… I think it would also be prudent that you join us… in the interest of keeping communications between the Order and the Senate open."

Immediately, Finn, Poe and Chewbacca relaxed, though Rey narrowed her eyes.

Bail and Mace both nodded at Obi-Wan's plan, even as Anakin huffed at being left out.

"Right," he said, beginning to walk over to the freighter sitting on the beach. "Let's get this over with."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How is everyone liking this? 
> 
> We're going to get more of Mace next chapter.
> 
> What do you think will happen? What are you hoping to happen in this fic?


	3. Mace Is Done With This Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mace Windu gets caught up to date.

As soon as the doors of the light freighter - which Mace could now see had clearly been modified as a smuggling ship - closed, the girl turned on Obi-Wan with a guarded expression.

"How did you know just who we'd want here for our explanation?" she demanded, her question immediately causing the others in her party to tense. 

Mace spied Cody and Ponds, who had escorted them in, no doubt to provide an extra layer of protection for their generals, whilst the non-Force Sensitive human had frowned, but acquiesced to their presence with a nod.

Obi-Wan, ever the smug bastard, just smiled knowingly.

"Your mental channels for speaking are very strong, but you all still project _some_ thoughts," he informed them gently. "It was quite easy to overhear them - thought I was the only one close enough to."

The girl pursed her lips and squirmed slightly, but she nodded and stepped away, retreating so that she was standing in line with the two other humans of their party. The Wookie had retreated from the room they were in with a garbled roar that Mace hadn't understood, as he had not elected to learn Shyriiwook in his time. However, Obi-Wan had not reacted, so Mace assumed that the Wookie would not harm them.

Obi-Wan quickly explained what he and Bail had seen and learnt back in the temple.

Mace would find time travellers from the future difficult to believe if it wasn't Kenobi. At this stage in the war, he may as well just accept it. He was too tired to summon the appropriate amount shock, even if he was inclined to show it on his face, which he wasn't.

This was meant to be a _simple_ mission.

"We may as well sit down," the male Force User - Finn - said. "We have over fifty years of history to cover."

His companions nodded in agreement, gesturing to the various couches around the living space. They waited until they were all seated, including Cody and Ponds before they all squished themselves onto one side of seat shaped in a semi-circle around a holoprojecting table, with Bail and Obi-Wan on the other side and Mace, Cody and Ponds on their own chairs that had been pulled up to the table.

"Where do we start?" Finn wondered absently, as he leaned his elbows on his knees.

The other human male - Poe - hummed. "I know that General Leia has been teaching you and Rey about the Clone Wars."

"She's been telling Rey about the politics and the Jedi for longer - I was usually only around when she got to talking about the clones."

Both men glanced at the girl, who was sitting on the right edge of the seat, next to the male Force User, who was sitting in the middle. Rey sighed and stood up but didn't complain.

"I may as well get straight to the point," she began, crossing her arms. "The Clone Wars are pointless and were constructed, and are being drawn out by the Sith for the sole purpose of destroying the Jedi and for cementing their reign over the galaxy."

Cody and Ponds stiffened in their seats.

Mace blinked. He felt Obi-Wan's shields wobble.

Senator Organa straightened. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's true," Poe said. "His Empire lasted twenty years before the Rebellion managed to defeat him."

"So the Separatists won?" Ponds asked with a slight frown.

Rey grimaced. "Not exactly."

She hesitated, obviously choosing her next words carefully. "The clones were supposedly commissioned by a Jedi who had visions, or something along those lines, right?"

Mace fought to keep his expression under control. That information wasn't exactly public knowledge.

"That is correct," he confirmed. "Master Sifo Diyas."

The girl's hands tightened around her arms and she shifted onto her other foot.

"The… accounts are not sure, but it is theorised that his visions were planted by the Sith Lord… or that Darth Tyrannus took control of the project quickly enough to alter the original order."

She took a deep breath. "The few surviving sources say that that after the main Separatist leaders were killed, that the Jedi discovered the identity of the remaining Sith, but those that were dispatched to arrest him were defeated - betrayed by one of their own, who allied himself with the Sith at the last moment."

"Then," she went on, breaking off for a second to glance nervously at Ponds and Cody. "He activated an order on the control chips, which are embedded inside every clone troopers' head."

Her eyes lowered and she swallowed. "Order sixty-six: execute all the Jedi."

Mace went completely still even as he saw Cody and Ponds recoiled as if she had shot them. Obi-Wan's eyes widened and shock reverberated through the Force, mixing with Mace's own.

"You lie," Senator Organa claimed. "The clones are loyal to the Republic."

The girl's head snapped up, a glare flashing through her eyes and hardening her features.

"I do not."

She looked away, breathing deeply.

"We have proof," Finn interjected. "History books, recordings, diaries. They should be tucked away somewhere around here. We always carry out study material with us."

"Our two clearest sources of information on it are the diaries left by you, Senator Organa and General Kenobi," Poe explained, looking at them. "I know General Leia has had Rey read them closely."

Obi-Wan's gaze jerked to them. "I survived?"

Poe nodded. "Until almost the end."

"It wasn't your fault," Finn informed Cody and Ponds, his voice strained as he stared at them desperately. "The chips. They-they overtook you. They erased you. You didn't have a _choice._ "

Mace could tell from the horror leaking into the Force around the troopers that his words brought them no comfort.

"Who is the Sith Lord?" Mace asked.

Rey looked at him, breaking out of the haze she had been lost in.

"Palpatine," she breathed. "Chancellor Palpatine was the Sith Lord."

Mace instinctively wanted to deny her. The Chancellor couldn't be the Sith Lord. He was the most powerful man in the Republic.

And yet.

There had been many instances in which Mace had, privately, questioned his decisions. He knew that a few of the 'debates' he had engaged in with the Chancellor had hurt their standing with him. But none of the Senate, nor many of the Republic citizens, were willing to trust the Jedi anymore.

And who had been the one to suggest that the Jedi lead the war. The Chancellor had denied his involvement but the man had not discouraged the idea when it had quickly gained popularity.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mace saw Obi-Wan tense.

"What is Anakin's role in all of this? You talked of him with each other."

Poe glanced down and Finn's jaw tightened.

Rey turned her attention to him, her eyes holding a deep regret.

"No," Obi-Wan breathed, his shoulders hunching forward slightly.

"Darth Vader was one of Emperor Palpatine's most effective weapons," Rey murmured. "But, at the very end, he did turn back to the light. To save his son."

Obi-Wan curled into himself and Mace felt the wave of pain and sorrow pulse out of him before the other master slammed his shields back into place.

"We are here now, though," Rey said firmly. "None of that has happened yet, and our knowledge can help you stop it."

"Yes," Finn agreed readily, still looking mostly at Cody and Ponds. "We can start to de-chip the clones and work on a way to deactivate them en-masse."

"It won't be easy," Poe cautioned. "Didn't you guys tell me that the Jedi were powerless to prevent their fate, even if they had known about it?"

Rey frowned and nodded. "Yes. They do not have the political power to make any significant move. Which is why we need the senators to start working. We have the information they need to start changing the system. They just need to get the physical evidence in this time period."

Senator Organa glanced around at his still shocked companions, and cleared his throat, startling all three of the time-travellers.

"You said it took around two decades to defeat the Empire, yet you are from fifty years in the future. What is the state of the galaxy in your time?"

Mace nodded his agreement with the questions.

Poe let out a shaky sigh. "Yes, the Empire was defeated the first time. Though not without heavy casualties. Alderaan was destroyed. The Mandalorians were wiped out almost as thoroughly as the Jedi. Countless lives were lost. And we still could not prevent the First Order rising from its ashes."

It was the Senator's turn to jerk back in surprise in pain. "Alderaan was destroyed?"

Poe nodded. "Yes, by a weapon called the Death Star. Capable of destroying whole planets. Luke Skywalker and his twin, your daughter, Leia Organa helped destroy it, along with the second one they built a few years later."

Rey went on, "Finn, Poe and I were there when its successor, Starkiller Base, was destroyed. Not after it destroyed the Hosnian System, the capitol of the New Republic first though."

"Though Poe did all the heavy lifting with his X-Wing," Finn said, shooting a smile at the man beside him.

Poe gave him a fleeting smile in return, barely a twitch of the lips.

"It wasn't enough though," Poe murmured, his voice thick. "The Resistance was losing. Many planets would rather submit to another tyrant than fight, and there was nothing we could do to stop them from invading systems and growing their army."

Finn stared hollowly at the table in front of him. "The Empire's stormtroopers were a poor mockery of the original clone troopers, meant remind Imperial citizens of them but have very little of their effectiveness save in their overwhelming numbers. But the First Order's stormtroopers… we were modelled more closely to our predecessors. Taken from our planets as mere children and raised to be the perfect little brainwashed soldiers. They even started chipping us in the end, when more and more started to defect - refusing to carry out the horrors they asked us to."

He stopped abruptly, looking down at his lap and taking a deep, shuddering breath as Poe rubbed a hand across his back.

Rey smiled at him sadly before turning purposefully to Senator Organa.

"I have little love for the Senate," she claimed and Mace had to suddenly suppress a smile at her frankness. "It failed to protect the Republic twice in fifty years, and all because of its corruption and general uselessness. However, Leia has told me stories of senators who could have changed it, if they were given enough time and manoeuvrability. I'm sure we have more than a few political texts that can inform you of just what corruption is being hidden in the shadows and behind the closed doors of the rotunda."

Senator Organa, who had paled drastically since the start of the conversation, swallowed and nodded. "I think you are right."

Poe smiled sharply. "I'll start looking for some of our books."

With that, he pushed up off the couch, sliding over Finn's lap and left.

"We will contact the Jedi Council, but what of your stories?" Obi-Wan asked. "What of your training? Surely _some_ Jedi survived."

Rey shrugged. "I heard that a few did. Many of them died during the Rebellion. Most of the survivors were wiped out by the First Order when they destroyed the New Jedi Order. Any remaining would have gone into hiding, and I haven't exactly had the time nor the opportunity to look for one. Besides, Luke Skywalker has been… assisting me with using the Force. He was going to take Finn on as a padawan any day now."

Mace frowned. "Not you?"

Rey gave him a close-lipped smile, something in her eyes causing Mace's gut to twist. "Master Skywalker does not think I am suited for the path of a Jedi. And he may be right. I… I struggle with control. Of my powers and my emotions. And I know that anger can be dangerous when accessing the Force. I have spent hours almost every day meditating for the last eight months and I still haven't made much progress."

Finn scoffed. "That's a load of banthashi - er - I mean, that's not true and you know it. Besides, you're a lot less angry than most would be in your situation."

Mace tilted his head to the side, his mind whirling. They were both already very powerful, especially Rey. Shatterpoints surrounded all of them as if they had smashed a dozen glass bottles at their feet. They would need to be trained, regardless of their suitability. Their connection to the Force was open too far for them to go untrained.

But, he would like to know if they could really grow to be suitable Jedi.

"Situation?" he questioned.

Rey looked to him and smiled sadly again, her dark grey eyes becoming shiny.

"My parents… sold me to the junker on Jakku when I was five years old and I spent the next fourteen years waiting for them to come back."

Mace's eyes widened and he felt everyone around him look sharply to the girl. However, before they could touch anything, there was a tumultuous crash which had a panel in a door swinging open and small one-wheeled droid with a cone-shaped head come barrelling out of it.

"D-O," Rey greeted quietly, kneeling down as the droid approached her.

"Rey," the droid said, "I missed you."

Rey smiled and carefully smoothed out one of the three antennas poking out of the back of his head.

"I can't believe you brought him along," Finn muttered.

"I wasn't very well going to leave him. He doesn't like being away from me for long."

Finn hummed non-committedly. "You know, you never told us where you got him. He just turned up after that mission you and Jess went on a few months ago and started following you around."

Rey stilled, glancing up at him as she stood up, rubbing at one of the arm bindings that ran up her arms.

"I found him on my parents' ship."

Finn pursed his lips. "So they're - "

"Dead. Yeah. The First Order got them. Or the Empire. Whatever they were calling themselves then. The chest has everything they left to me. I haven't been able to read through all the datasticks yet."

Finn nodded solemnly as Rey joined him on the couch.

"I think Finn would make a great Jedi," she announced. "We've been looking at what little we could find of you, and he's everything you want. He's kind and thoughtful, and doesn't let his emotions overwhelm him."

Finn rolled his eyes. "All of that could describe you as well."

He looked between Obi-Wan and mace seriously. "She talks of how her power could lead to the dark side, but if she was going to Fall, she would have done it by now. Something awful happened on Dandoran, but she didn't let it affect her and managed to pull like three and a half dozen TIE fighters right out of the air. At once. There was no dark side; she was calm as a desert."

Mace felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. That was not small feat. Even for the most skilled of masters.

"It's not like you haven't had to do your job before when Poe was being threatened," Rey shot back.

"Yes, well, he hasn't…" Finn trailed off before he could finish the sentence, but the damage was already done.

Rey's expression crumbled and she looked away, needing to scrub at her eyes before she looked back up.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Yes, well. I think we've heard enough to tell the Council. And we have just enough time to comm them before we must leave. Regardless of the outcome, I imagine you will be leaving with us."

\-----

The meeting did not actually take that long. They used their most secure lines and still did not dare reveal the full extent of what they'd been told, only that they had uncovered something of import regarding the Senate and that they would convene with any councilmembers physically on Coruscant as soon as they returned.

As for the time travellers? Not unexpectedly, the Council voted to train the Force Users, whilst allowing the others to accompany them. It did not seem like a good idea to separate them. Especially if they found a way to return them.

They, of course, would not be telling the Senate that the newest padawans of the Order were time travellers, at least from the future. Officially, the group had been caught in a stasis trap for hundreds of years, which was only released by Commander Cody accidentally brushing a specific rune. It would explain their unusual ship, which was actually not that old, but had been modified beyond recognition from its original model, and it would explain their lack of training, as the Jedi had not always had the reach to collect as many Force Sensitive children as they did.

"Now, we must decide who will train them," Obi-Wan said, rubbing his chin as the session began to draw to a close.

"Decided, it already has been," Yoda announced.

Mace glanced at his companion before they returned their attention to the holoprojector.

"By whom, Master?" he asked, keeping his voice level.

"Brought them to you, the Force has. Train them, you must."

Mace sighed. He knew he was going to say that.

"We are both far too busy to properly train a padawan, Master," Obi-Wan tried to reason only to be stopped by an imploring look.

"The best choice, you are. Sense it, I can."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips, but had no argument to that.

Then, Yoda had the gall to laugh.

"Stick together, you two will, for the foreseeable future, whilst you train your new padawans."

Mace was going to kill him. The Force knew he loved and respected Obi-Wan as a friend and fellow master, but that did not mean he wanted to be partnered with him, which would also, inevitably mean being partnered with Skywalker more often, especially after recent revelations. The man was a trouble magnet if Mace had ever known one.

Even if he didn't hate the idea of training them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are your theories for how Finn and Rey's training will go?
> 
> How do you like the fix-it start to my fic?


	4. Cody is Depressed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit from a clones perspective, because people have been asking for more clones.

Cody sat next to Ponds in the medbay.

The four time travellers were occupying three of the beds. Chewbacca was reclined in one near the corner, grumbling quietly to himself whilst Commander Finn and Commander Dameron were sitting next to each other on one two lots over, their legs dangling over the edge as Kix and Helix took blood and performed various other tests on them.

Cross-legged on the bed in the middle was Commander Rey talking amicably with Commanders Tano and Offee, who had dragged their chairs closer to her bed once her own tests had been finished. She'd elected to have the blood taken from her wrist rather than have to take off her arm bindings - even though Cody knew from experience that it was more painful - and was now idly fiddling with the end of the fabric near her wrist as she conversed with the other two girls.

The earlier melancholy that had overtaken her at the end of their conversation was gone now and she smiled widely, providing an effective (and Cody suspected, unwitting) distraction for the two padawans, who had been annoyed at being left out of the discussion that the generals were currently engaged in. General Kenobi (or Obi-Wan, as he insisted Cody address him as when they were not on duty) had informed Cody that Rey was perhaps a year older than Padawan Offee, and no more than three years older than Commander Tano. It was good for them to interact with others around their age, especially since Rey could relate so well to their situation.

Commanders Dameron and Finn would occasionally contribute to their conversation, though the two were mostly distracted by answering the medics' questions.

They would all need to be vaccinated as well as go on a round of antibiotics, anti-viral and anti-contagion medication because of the disparity between bacteria and diseases between their time periods. Luckily, none of them had been carrying anything immediately deadly or damaging. 

Ponds and Cody had silently agreed to watch over their new commanders, both to ensure their protection and to further judge their character.

To be honest, Cody hadn't even started to process what he'd heard in the ship. He couldn't afford to think about it. He knew that he would break down as soon as he did.

He had wanted to deny the truth that had been revealed to him; there was no way that the Vode would betray their Jedi. _He_ couldn't be able to do that to Obi-Wan. It was impossible. But then him and Ponds had gotten their heads scanned and now he was nursing a fading headache, the point on his head where they had removed the chip not even leaving a scar behind. The only sign was the strips of hair shaved out of their heads.

They had only done the two clone commanders so far, wanting to study the chips further and get onto a Jedi ship, where they were surrounded by only allies, before they did further operations. They didn't want to draw attention from the wrong senators.

Cody was glad that Kix and Helix had let them sit in the chairs near the door instead of forcing them onto beds as they recovered. From here, he could pretend that there was nothing wrong, that the only reason he was sitting there beside his vod was to protect his new commanders. Well, their new commanders.

The 212th and the 187th would be working closely together from now on which meant that, though technically each new commander only belonged to one of the battalions, they would be watched over both. There was an unspoken but clandestine agreement of that fact.

Besides, the commanders needed to be protected, _deserved_ to be protected, just as much as their often misunderstood generals.

Commander Rey's story reminded Cody hauntingly of what he knew of General Skywalker's past. Though, he hadn't seen any of the bitter anger that seemed to surround General Skywalker in her. Yet. He had only known the girl for a few hours.

And Commander Finn? Well, he was a brother. Cody and Ponds had agreed on that almost instantly. Whilst the others had potential to be accepted into the fold just as deeply as the 501st held Commander Tano, their vod'ika, Commander Finn was already one of them. He could understand them. He was one of them.

And didn't that just make Cody feel worse? He knew that what had been done to them was awful. He hadn't always really understood. He knew that what he'd seen the long necks do to his brothers made him angry, he knew it left him with this deep seated fear that he was only just beginning to erode at, but only after finding Obi-Wan staring out one of the viewports, tears pouring down his cheeks and listened to his speech, did Cody really understand the _injustice_ of their treatment. And to find out that it was used as inspiration to harm children made him feel infinitely worse.

It was true that, outside of the Jedi, Cody had little love to spare for natborns, but he wouldn't wish his own child upon any innocent.

Ponds bumped Cody's shoulder lightly and broke him out of his thoughts. Cody glanced to the side, inclining his head forward slightly in thanks, and refocused on his new charges.

Neither Ponds or Cody had ever had a Jedi commander, and he hadn't really understood other vode when they talked about their own. But, only a few hours after getting his own, he thought he was beginning to get the feeling all the others spoke of, even if these ones were much older than the usual.

He'd always thought that it would be just like having another general. He certainly felt protective of Obi-Wan. He wouldn't let anyone harm his general.

However, for Commander Finn and Commander Rey it was different. It was almost… paternal?

It was different than what he felt for Commander Tano. She was Rex's. So, he watched over like he watched over his closest vod outside his battalion, but she wasn't _his_ commander. He didn't panic at the thought of leaving her with other people.

Cody fought to keep his frown off his face.

He needed to get control of himself.

Commander Finn and Commander Rey were adults. They weren't like the usual padawans. Never mind that they were almost more vulnerable than most Jedi commanders, since they both had so little training and such traumatic childhoods. His fist tightened involuntarily.

Ponds glanced down at the movement and then met Cody's eye.

"I know, vod," he murmured. "They feel so… bright."

Cody almost sighed. At least it wasn't only him.

"We won't let them out of our sight," he whispered and Ponds nodded.

"Deal."

Commander Tano jumping to her feet drew Cody's attention.

"Are they all cleared, Kix?" she asked, pushing herself up onto her toes.

Helix glanced down at his pad whilst Regret - the 187th's head medic - bustled over.

"I would like to get you, Commander Rey, on a vitamin plan, as you're severely deficient in many," Regret informed her. "You'll need to go on a strict meal plan as well."

"You're not as bad, Commander Finn," Helix informed the man. "But I'll still give you some tablets with your dinner. Otherwise, you're all cleared to go. We'll have follow up shots in about a week to make sure you get full immunity and we're still waiting on a few test results, but you don't need to be while we analyse them."

The commanders, who had both wrinkled their noses slightly (whether it was at the formalities or the medication, Cody didn't know, but he still made note to make sure they followed medic regs. Force knows he had enough practice with his own self-sacrificing battalion and general) grinned and jumped up.

"Great!" Commander Tano exclaimed. "Then we can see you guys spar. I want to see how you're fighting is."

Commander Finn glanced down whilst Commander Dameron grinned broadly and bumped his shoulder whilst a small blush crept onto Commander Rey's features.

"I'm sure you'll be underwhelmed. We have virtually no training."

"That's okay," Commander Tano assured her brightly. "It'll be good to see your instincts anyway. Skyguy is often put on missions with Master Obi-Wan since they make such a good team, and since you guys have to stick together, I'm sure I'll be training with you pretty often."

"I'm also curious to see your fighting styles," Commander Offee stated. "And we can demonstrate our lightsaber forms for you after."

Commander Rey grinned. "I'd love to see that."

She glanced up at the two men that had also just stood up, who gave enthusiastic nods, before looking back at the Wookie, who was still lying down.

"Are you coming, Chewie?"

Chewbacca let out a roar that sounded distinctly annoyed, but he stood up.

"What about you, commanders?" Commander Finn asked, looking at Ponds and Cody. "Are you cleared to leave."

Both of them nodded, ignoring the indignant glares of their medics as they got out of their chairs.

"It would be beneficial to see your base skill levels," Ponds said.

"Great!" Commander Tano decided. "Then we'll all go."

They mad an unusual sight, all of them strolling through the corridors, with a spherical astromech and a small one-wheeled droid doing excited circles around their group, weaving between the time travellers' legs as they chattered away in a mix of basic and binary.

When they got there, Commander Tano gestured over to a circle that had been drawn on the ground in the centre of the large room. It had fancier obstacles and training simulations than the Jedi cruisers had, even though the only combatants it normally held were guards, and perhaps an unusually trained dignitary, but Cody supposed that in ships like this, things were there for money rather than use.

Although, he couldn't complain about the extensive kitchen and food storage areas. He hadn't eaten this well for so many consecutive days well… ever. 

Commander Rey and Commander Finn took up their places about ten metres away from each other after depositing their other weapons with their companions.

"Just give me a moment," Commander Rey requested as she removed her weapon from her belt.

When it was activated, Cody noted with some surprise that it was a double-bladed lightsaber, one with two different colours, a deep gold and a brilliant azure blue.

"This is going to be interesting," Commander Dameron informed them quietly, as Commander Rey took a few warm up swings with her saber, slowly twirling it around her body whilst Commander Finn rolled his shoulders, his deactivated saber in his right palm.

"Why?" Cody couldn't stop himself from asking.

"They've never both had sabers before. They usually sparred with sticks or metal pipes. There was that one time they borrowed a few actual metal swords but they didn't like those, said the balance was different."

"Are you saying that she's never used a double-bladed saber before?" Commander Offee asked, awe tinting her voice.

Commander Dameron shrugged. "No, but she does prefer her spear. She said the saber never felt right."

Before the conversation could continue, Commander Rey stopped her experimentation, holding the saber out in front of her, parallel to the ground.

"Alright," she announced, "I'm ready."

Commander Finn grinned and nodded, activating his own saber and holding it in a double-handed grip in front of him.

"Okay," Commander Dameron called. "Begin."

They both ran in to meet each other with Commander Rey immediately bracing to block Commander Finn's overhead attack, she swung the other end of her staff around in a deadly ark that Commander Finn only barely deflected, and was forced to dodge as the other end came up, dancing backwards.

His eyes were slightly wide, and it was obvious that he'd never had to face something like this before.

They exchanged a few more blows after that, but six months was a big difference in experience when you were talking about eight months and two months of training. And, though Commander Rey faltered somewhat with her new saber, she clearly had a solid background in similar weapons born of years of fighting whilst Commander Finn wasn't nearly as familiar with his own.

The fight ended when they Commander Finn was knocked slightly off balance as he blocked one of Commander Rey's blows, leaving him not enough time to react as her golden blade swung around to his exposed ribs, stopping mere inches away from hitting it.

The both tensed, breathing heavily for a few seconds before they stepped away from each other, grinning.

"Good job," the said simultaneously and Commander Tano bounced up to them, Commander Dameron not far behind as he threw an arm over Commander Finn's shoulders.

"You'll get her next time," the pilot assured him but Commander Finn just laughed.

"Maybe not if she actually starts training with the staff."

"You were very good for someone with so little experience with a lightsaber," Commander Offee commented, smiling slightly.

Commander Finn looked down at the comment. "I have been trained extensively in other melee weapons… just not swords before."

"Finn can absolutely obliterate me in blaster practice," Commander Rey proclaimed proudly. "In fact, he taught me pretty much everything I know about shooting one of them."

There was a story there, but Commander Tano didn't have time to aske before the doors to the training room were opened.

The four general walked into the room, with Gree and Rex flanking them.

As usually, the only one clearly dispalying their emotions was General Skywalker, who was scowling thunderously.

Cody and Ponds saluted whilst Commanders Offee and Tano bowed, with Commanders Finn and Rey following a beat after, leaving Chewbacca and Commander Dameron to nod respectfully.

"Masters," Commander Offee greeted and the three older generals nodded in acknowledgment.

"What's wrong?" Commander Tano asked.

The generals exchanged glances.

"A few of the tests returned… unexpected results," Obi-Wan admitted.

Commander Dameron frowned. "What does that mean."

General Windu stepped forward, looking his new padawan in the eye.

"Rey, what do you know about your parents?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand I've already started drawing my parallels between Anakin and Rey because that was a criminally underdeveloped aspect of the movies that I think should be explored more in meta and fics. 
> 
> I think you could all probably tell what the big reveals are going to be... but feel free to comment what you think anyway.
> 
> What, if any, ships do you want to possibly see for Rey in the future? I don't really have anything solid in the works for her but I have a few thoughts.


	5. Bitter Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a twist.

Rey's heart leapt to her throat at the question, and her eyes widened.

"I don't… not much."

Master Windu frowned and Rey's gut twisted. She lowered her eyes, trying to stamp down the vaguely nauseous feeling the look inspired. She'd known she wouldn't be good enough to be a Jedi, but she didn't think she'd be disappointing her master this early.

"Do you know their names?"

Rey jerked, her mind immediately putting it together. "Kenobi is a common name on Stewjon. I didn't assume…"

Master Kenobi smiled smally. "You are correct. It is common. However, we ran your blood and it seems that you are, in fact, related to me."

Rey stared at him.

"What?" Poe asked, glancing incredulously at Rey.

Rey cringed. She hadn't told either of those two what she'd found on her mission with Jess almost two months ago. She honestly felt like she was still processing all that she'd found on the ship, in the large chest that she'd found hidden in a smuggler's compartment, so well hidden, surrounded by Force dampeners and anti-scanner tech, that the only reason that Rey found it was that D-0 had showed it to her after he'd verified her identity.

"I discovered much information about my parents… Anaya-Lan Kenobi and Din Djarin."

"You know their names!" Poe asked, grinning. "That's amazing."

Rey shrugged, not quite managing to give him a convincing smile. It had been strangely relieving to learn that her parents had died. That they hadn't left her. And then she'd been sickened at her relief. She'd cried and Jess had held her. Now, all she could feel when she thought of them was a mess of sorrow and guilt that no amount of meditating had helped her make peace with.

She looked between her master and her, she supposed, uncle.

"They were… There was a recording. What they left me revealed a lot about my history."

The three Jedi masters glanced at each other whilst Skywalker's scowl deepened.

"If we go back to the Millenium Falcon, I can show you. I think it will be easier than explaining."

Master Windu nodded. "That sounds reasonable, Rey. Master Unduli, I am sure that you, Knight Skywalker and your padawans are capable of overseeing the senators' safety and comfort."

The older Mirialan Jedi bowed. "Of course, Master Windu."

Skywalker's scowl deepened for a second and Rey set her jaw against the wave of anger and frustration that clashed against her shields.

However, he turned on his heal and joined the other Jedi in leaving, the two troopers who had followed them in shadowing them, both sporting new scars on the sides of their heads, which they covered with helmets before they went through the doors.

Master Kenobi inclined his head forward. "Why don't we go?"

\----

Obi-Wan stood shoulder to shoulder with Mace, Cody Ponds, Finn, Chewbacca and Poe as Rey knelt in front of them. D-O was sitting in front of, in between them and a chest engraved with a Rancor surrounded by a long, thin, winged dragon, who's tail was hooked around its head.

She pressed her hand against D-O's head and the droid went very still, a flickering hologram projecting in front of him.

A pale woman with deep red hair, pinned around her head in a braided crown, and grey eyes came into focus.

Obi-Wan stifled his gasp as he realised that she was his niece.

He was given to the temple too young to remember his family. Some Jedi had contact with their families, and many visited their home planets to stay in touch with their cultures. Obi-Wan had never had the desire; he'd preferred to learn about Stewjon from afar. Seeing the woman's face, her smile warm, even as her brow creased in worry, almost made him regret the decision.

He could see the connections between her, him and Rey. They had the same small features, the same pale skin, and the same stormy eyes. Rey even had a similar cadence to her voice, the unique Stewjoni accent that was so often mistaken for a refined Coruscanti one.

"Rey, my dear, if you are watching this, then your farther and I are dead."

She gave a shaky sigh, blinking her eyes rapidly.

"I am _so_ sorry," her voice was husky as a tear fell down her cheek. "Your farther and I did not want to leave you there, but it was the only way. There was no other habitable planet within range where we'd be assured of your anonymity."

Anaya-Lan swallowed. "You are… special, my darling. Your light shines so, so bright. We thought… we thought it would be safer to part you two. We didn't think that we'd be found. Not so soon."

"I'm so…" her voice broke. "I'm so, so sorry, little one. You don't… you don't deserve any of this."

She paused, looking down at the ground before she glanced back up. "D-0 will show you all that you need to know of us, of your history and of what you are. Please, _please,_ know that you are wanted. I _love_ you more than I can ever put into words. And I am so sorry for what I have done with you."

The recording picked up the groan of the ship around her, the familiar sound of a hyperdrive being pushed to its limits rattling around Obi-Wan's head.

"Goodbye, my lightbringer," Anaya-Lan whispered, before she stood up from the chair she had been sitting on.

A few moments later, a man with tanned skin and dark hair replaced her.

He gave a sigh, his deep chocolate eyes filled with a kind of grief that Obi-Wan wished he couldn't relate to.

"I don't have much time, Rey," he began. "But there are things you need to know."

He held out his hand, showing a pendant of a horned skull on a black corded necklace. Obi-Wan instantly recognised it as the symbol for the true Mandalorians.

"This will be in the chest. When… if you find any Mandalorians show this to them, they will take you in."

The man's eyes lowered. "Wren has the dha'kad now, and I cannot put my helmet on again, but my armour is your legacy. I know you will wear it well."

He leant his elbows in the table, clenching his fists together as he stared back into the camera.

"If you can, find Fulcrum… you must find her. She will have a baby with her that has a necklace which matches yours. She will train you."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Gods, we should have left you with her… We thought you would be safer apart from your brother. She said that you are both so powerful… more bright than she could ever imagine… but we were fools, thinking we could outrun the Empire, and the galaxy was blind to think its terror was over."

He refocused on the camera, as if he could reach across and touch the viewer. "Rey, you are _meant_ to be a Jedi. And I…"

A tear fell down his face. "It will forever be my greatest regret, in this life and beyond, that I could not watch you and your brother grow into the fierce protectors you will become."

He breathed a sigh and the tears flowed more freely. "I'm so sorry Rey'ika. I wanted so much more for you… If you ever find your brother… and I hope to _god_ you do, you may be shocked by his appearance… he's a little, well, green."

He broke off with a humourless bark of laughter. "If you ever find your brother, tell him that I'm sorry too, and that I wish I could have said goodbye, that I could have told him I loved him one more time."

The ship shuddered around them and the man, Din Djarin, swallowed. "We should get the chest hidden."

He a watery smile. "You will do great things, Rey Kenobi of Clan Djarin. I love you, more than I will ever be able to show."

The last thing that was heard as the man reached forward to turn the recording off, was the blaring sound of an alarm and a whispered. "I wish we could have done better."

Obi-Wan wasn't the only one who had to blink tears out of his eyes when the projection flickered off.

Rey was openly crying as she stepped forward and slowly opened the chest before anyone could say anything.

This time, Obi-Wan could not hold back his slight gasp.

Stacked in one corner, taking up about a quarter of the space, was full beskar armour, unpainted. The shoulder puldrons and the helmet were laying on the top. One of the shoulders had the same racor as on the front welded onto it.

The rest of the chest was filled with a motely mix of weapons, datasticks, books and other small bits. One of them was a smaller wooden box that was latched with a Force lock.

Rey stared unseeingly at the contents, as she slowly stood. As soon as she'd straightened, Finn wrapped her in a tight hug, quickly joined by Poe and Chewbacca, with the two droids bumping into her legs.

Obi-Wan sent out a thin vine through the Force, suffusing it with a delicate comfort. He was surprised when Rey soon acknowledged it, sending her own thrum of thanks through the Force. He hadn't thought that she would notice it. Anakin still failed to pick up on many of the subtle Force interactions that Jedi shared; or, rather, he refused to. He didn't understand that communicating through the Force rather than in the physical world was more natural and genuine for most Jedi, since they were all often called upon to be the calm mediators. The silent communication was only for them, and ensured a level of truth and earnestness that could not be assured in the physical world.

Anakin was so powerful, everything around him was so loud, that he often didn't grasp the fact that small interactions in the Force could have a large meaning, and he had always been obstinate about listening to Obi-Wan when he attempted to explain them.

The group pulled away shortly, Rey rubbing the last tears out of her eyes as they turned to face them.

"I have read through many of the books and datasticks in there. They were mostly learning modules for history, language, art and battle tactics," she admitted. "But I haven't touched the armour. I… haven't been ready for the memories it holds."

"Memories?" Obi-Wan asked.

Rey shifted uncomfortably. "I can see what has happened to an object when I touch it."

"You have psychometry?" Mace questioned.

Rey shrugged. "If that is what it is called."

"It is," Mace confirmed, before he gave a small smile. "I believe we are quite well balanced. Do you have visions?"

Rey nodded. "We both do."

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. That would be interesting.

"I believe it is time that we each talk to our padawans, alone," he announced.

He looked into Rey's eyes and she smiled slightly, sending a thrum of understanding towards him. There would be time for them to talk later. They would be training together more often than not, after all.

Then he cast a glance at Chewbacca and Poe, who both nodded.

"We understand that Rey and Finn need to train," Poe explained. "Chewie will probably want to work on the Falcon but I want to try and find someone who can show me around the fighters. I'm not used to the older model."

Cody stepped forward. "I can do that."

"I'll join you, vod," Ponds agreed.

Poe grinned. "Good. Let's go then and leave the Jedi to their Force business."

They all nodded their goodbyes and the astromech, BB-8 followed them out.

Chewbacca said goodbye as well before he disappeared into the Falcon and Mace quietly lead Rey off into the ship once they'd exited the freighter.

Obi-Wan turned to Finn, smiling. "I know a rather lovely garden that nobody aboard this ship visits. Shall we converse there?"

Finn returned his smile with a slightly uncertain one of his own. "Yes, master."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... So how did you like it? Any predictions?
> 
> Dha'kad means dark saber in Mando'a
> 
> and 'ika is a diminutive used affectionately that means little.
> 
> So, the fate of the few remaining Mandalorians in the future will be revealed.
> 
> P.S Cara is with Ahsoka, guarding the Child in this fic. She's just not mentioned.


	6. Masters and Padawans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The training begins.

Finn's head was spinning with the sudden changes that he'd experienced in the past few hours. It wasn't a new feeling for him. If he was honest, his head hadn't really stopped spinning since he'd decided to save Poe all those months ago.

After that decision, that one choice which uprooted everything that Finn had ever known, everything had been constantly changing. At times, it had felt like it was impossible to pause long enough to even take a breath. Finn had been dragged through a whirlwind of chaos and fighting, moving through missions, between different bases, and around different positions in the Resistance. The only times where his mind had seemed to slow down were when he was with Poe or Rey or the general.

For most of the first few months, Finn hadn't been sure about what he wanted to do. There had been something, deep inside him that had screamed at him to run, to find a dark corner of the galaxy so far away and well-hidden that the First Order would never find him, not matter how far their influence spread and how much power they took. However, whenever he went to ask the general for transport, for help in hiding (he knew that she would give it without judgement should he ask, in fact, she was the one who offered a few days after he'd woken up in the med bay after Starkiller Base), he seemed to catch sight of Poe fixing his TIE fighter or talking quietly to BB8, or Rey determinedly walking off into the forest to yet again sit there for hours or pouring through books as she tried to understand how to fix the galaxy, and he knew that he could not abandon them.

These people were his people and they were fighting for what was right. And, yes, it was scary and it was difficult and they were losing. But, it felt good every time they helped someone, or saved a planet from the First Order's clutches. Finn had never felt like he was doing something right before. He didn't want to stop and, ultimately, every time he had faltered, that conviction had proved stronger than the fear.

But time travel? That was hard to tackle.

Finn followed General Kenobi to the luscious garden. The first thing he noticed when he entered the room was the sudden increase in temperature. This ship was fancy enough for the halls to be heated even in hyperspace. However, the humidity in room of tropical plants, which was almost like a greenhouse, took the edge of the chill that permeated hyperspace more than the heaters ever could. The second thing he noticed was the frankly ridiculous water feature that dominated the centre of the high-ceilinged room.

General Kenobi led him over to a clear section of glass right next to the fountain and sat down in a cross-legged position.

Finn scrambled to do the same, trying his best to match General Kenobi's posture.

He must have done something right because General Kenobi smiled at him, filling Finn's chest with a warmth.

"I know this must be very overwhelming for you," General Kenobi said.

Finn nodded. "That's one way to put it."

General Kenobi's smile widened a little. "Yes, that was rather an understatement, wasn't it? My apologies, I've had so much practice with phrasing things diplomatically that it has become automatic."

"That's… useful."

General Kenobi chuckled before he looked seriously into Finn's eyes. "Regardless of the… unusual circumstances you've found yourself in, you are my padawan now, and we will be working very closely together. We will be partners, even above the battalions we will be working with and Padawan Rey and Master Windu, do you understand?"

Finn frowned, but he nodded again. "Yes. You'll be teaching me and I'll answer primarily to you."

General Kenobi nodded. "Of course, given your age and circumstances, this will be a highly unusual padawanship and, as such, we will both need to be flexible and open to our expectations for this dynamic."

Finn blinked. He hadn't expected such a frank and open discussion. Honestly, it reminded him of General Organa, when she'd sat him down and frankly asked him what he wanted.

"Uh… yeah. That would be good actually."

General Kenobi smiled gently, his posture somehow becoming even more straight even as eh inclined his head towards Finn.

"I promise to do my best to train you in the ways of the Jedi and help you gain mastery over the Force. However, I also want you to know that, should the Jedi path not be suited for you, you will always have my support going forward, even if you decide to leave the order. I have many contacts that could help you establish a life outside the Order."

Finn frowned. Over the past couple of months, he had come to accept the fact that he would eventually join the sparse ranks of the mystical Force Users. However, he hadn't been prepared for joining such an organised and established Order.

"And what does it mean to be a Jedi?" Finn asked. "Rey and I tried to figure it out, but there wasn't much… I mean most records had been destroyed and it was hard to find real solid evidence of what the Order really was like… or is like I guess."

General Kenobi put a hand on his chin, pausing in thought for a few moments before he questioned, "What do you think it means to be a Jedi?"

Finn pressed his lips together. "From what I understand of past stories and from what I think… Jedi are peacekeepers, right? They protected the galaxy as best they could and mediate government bureaucracy to try and get fair outcomes. They protect people when they can't protect themselves."

General Kenobi's shoulders lowered slightly. "That's what we try to do. It's become a lot more difficult over the last few years. We… try to do what is right. But you missed one, very important. We are beholden to the Senate. Especially after recent legislation. It has allowed us to have influence within in the galaxy to make it better, but everything comes at a price and we've been feeling it recently."

Finn leaned forward, looking deeply into General Kenobi’s eyes. “There is one thing that I am certain of and that all those in the Resistance, particularly General Leia: the Jedi were good. They helped the galaxy. Even the Clone Wars was... is the Jedi doing everything they can to protect it.”

General Kenobi glanced down, taking a slow breath before he looked up at Finn, his eyes shining.

“That means more than I can say.”

He cleared his throat. “It is not my place to tell you what being a Jedi is to you. However, you must know that if you choose to be a Jedi, you must commit to being a Jedi. It has to be your first priority and you can’t let anything else come before that.”

Finn pursed his lips. “Luke said something similar when he talked about being a Jedi. I think I understand.”

“You do?”

Finn nodded. “Its similar in the Resistance: the cause comes first. Anything else comes second... came second. We couldn’t afford to prioritise anything over our missions or the people we were helping could get hurt... could have died.”

General Kenobi inclined his head forward, his face impassive, but Finn was very good at reading people, having spent much of his life surrounded by people in full armour, and if he had to guess, the slight loosening of the man’s shoulders belied his relief.

“Good. The Jedi do not forbid romantic relationships, just attachments that could compromise our objectivity or our ability to perform our duties, but I think that you understand that. If you do think that you’ve formed an attachment that will jeapordise you’re ability to make the right decision when it comes down to it, then it will your job to come forward with that and either work threw that attachement or step down as a Jedi before you get someone hurt. The Council has been more... lenient with this rule since the war began. It’s blurred the lines for many but it is still important.”

Finn blinked and absorbed this information for a few moments before he replied, “I agree. Poe agrees too. I... think I might love him but we both knew that there would always be something that came first, even after the war. Poe has always been to committed to saving the galaxy above all else and I... I think I like helping people. And I don’t want something to come before that, not even Poe.”

At this, General Kenobi smiled. “That is... an extremely mature response. But, just know, if you change your mind, you are free to leave the Order. You might not be a Jedi afterwards, but you will still have the support of your friends if you wish to keep in contact.”

Finn nodded. “I understand.”

General’s Kenobi’s grin widened and he took a deep breath. “I know that this was extremely unexpected, but I have a good feeling about you and your team. I think you will find your place here and I’m looking forward to teaching you.”

Finn wanted to duck his head but managed to stop himself, even as he felt his cheeks heat up. “Thank you, General Kenobi.”

“It’s, Obi-Wan, or Master Obi-Wan if you want to, but don’t feel pressured if you are uncomfortable with that title or it causes you distress. I know the negative connotations it has in much of the galaxy.”

Finn shook his head. “No, it’s ok. I know that it’s a sign of respect. And I never - the First Order didn’t use that word. It would have been too obvious what we were then. They relied on us being too brainwashed to care.”

Gener - no, Master Obi-Wan pressed his lips together then but went on instead of diving into a discussion about Finn’s past. He didn’t think he could handle it after the emotional upheaval. The Jedi has already talked with them about the ramifications of leaving everything behind before their medical check ups and implied that there would be more of those conversations in the future.

“What would be comfortable being adrressed as? I can call you Padawan, or Finn, or even Commander Finn if you would prefer. You will be addressed as such by the troops. I’m afraid it’s rather impossible to get them to use your first names. Cody has only just started doing so, and that is only in private after we’ve already been doing hours of paperwork together.”

“Any of those are fine.” Just as long as they didn’t use his number, but they hadn’t told him his number, so he would have to worry about that. “I won’t have to call the troopers by their serial numbers will I?”

Master Obi-Wan grimaced. “Many of them have not chosen names for themselves, so you will need to address those as their designations if you want to converse with them, but a great majority have decided upon their names and prefer it if you address them by their chosen names.”

Finn nodded vigorously. “Good. That’s good. I can definitely do that.”

Master Obi-Wan’s eyes softened. “I know that the clones’ reality is not right, but we have thus far been unsuccessful in convincing the Senate that they need rights. I know this will be difficult for you. If you are having difficulties, please feel free to come to me or any Jedi Master if you do not want to talk to me about it. We can arrange a way to make you feel better, even if that is you staying in the Temple, though you will still see troopers there. We have found that we like having them there. It feels right and they help the young kings feel safe.”

Both Jedi flinched after that at the reminder of just what the troopers on the Temple had done. The event was barely under one and a half years away. The troopers there still had their chips in. They couldn’t convey their information to the Council for fear of it getting intercepted. There was no telling how safe even the most encrypted comms were and this intel was too important to risk getting out. It literally meant the life and death of every Jedi. They couldn’t even discuss it with the other Jedi on their trip yet. They needed to get a plan first.

“It’s alright,” Finn assured Master Obi-Wan. “Like I said, I know that this was the best option. Without you, the troopers would be stuck with people like Tarkin, and you would have had even less influence than you already do over the trooper’s fates.”

Master Obi-Wan swallowed and was quiet for a few moments before he looked up. “I think that’s enough heavy topics for one day, Padawan. Do you agree?”

Finn matched the other man’s smile and nodded.

Master Obi-Wan shook his shoulders out. “Now, I know that you have practiced meditation, but I would like to see your progress. It is one of the most important parts of a Jedi’s skill set. It helps us connect with the Force and promotes self reflection, which is essential to ensure that you stay in touch with your emotions and feelings.”

“And don’t fall to the Dark Side.”

“Very good,” Master Obi-Wan agreed with a nod of his head. “But also to just ensure that you are aware of your emotions and that your connection to the Force is healthy.”

“That sounds fair.”

“I’m glad, Finn,” Master Obi-Wan said with a smirk. “Now, would like me to guide you through a meditation?”

“Yeah,” Finn answered without needing to think about it. “I would.”

——

Rey couldn’t stop the giddy smile from splitting across her face as she opened her eyes. That was the best meditation she’d ever had.

“That was amazing!” she said. It made up for the long conversation they’d had about the rules of the Jedi (that part really hadn’t been bad. It was nice when people were clear), trauma (which had been painful and left her feeling hollow) and about her feelings towards her family (which had almost made her cry). The conversation had been long and serious, but she thought that her master was convinced that she knew the dangers of attachment - she’d told him about Joie shelf learnt the difference between a healthy relationship and attachment the hard way after all.

Master Windu’s lips twitched and he glanced down at the comm link on his vambrace, “We have time for me to begin teaching you katas?”

Rey perked up, causing her master to chuckle. Rey’s eyes widened and Master Windu smiled at her.

“Did I shock you, Padawan?”

Rey stammered our a denial but that only caused her master to chuckle again.

“It’s alright, Rey,” he assured her as he sobered. “I am a High General and the Master of the Order, which means I need to present a certain image to everyone. I know I come off as stern.”

Rey blinked before she nodded. “That makes sense. The Order needs a firm leader.”

Her master smiled at her. “However, you are not everyone. You are my Padawan. It is a lot of responsibility for you as we both will be held to a certain expectation when we are around other people. You will need to act respectfully and responsibly. But it also means I won’t be as... stiff around you.”

Rey absorbed that for a few moments before she answered, “I understand... Master Mace.”

Her lips twitched as her master sighed. “There was a reason I asked you to address me as either Master or Mace.”

Rey grinned and Mace raised his eyebrow at her. “Remind me not to introduce you to Depa, your sister padawan. I can already tell that I will never find peace again if I do.”

They shared a smile as warmth thrummed through their newly established bond and then Mace cleared his throat. “Why don’t we get started. The highly unique style of your saber means that you will need to learn multiple fighting styles to master the staff and dual form. However, I think I’ll start off you Shi-Cho forms for a single blade and we’ll go from there.”

Rey nodded in agreement and stood up with her master, unclipping her saber from its stop on her belt and lighting up the blue side. Her master ignited his own saber revealing a brilliant purple colour that immediately had Rey entranced as he started showing her simple stances. 

The moves felt good, a little awkward at first but she quickly picked them up, and soon Mace showed her the variations for staff and Jar’Kai. By the end of the lesson, they had moved onto to a slow sort of sparring and Rey felt like she’d actually made progress for the first time since she’d started training.

“That was a good session, Padawan” her master praised her warmly at the end of it, stepping up to her shoulder. “I’ll show you to your room so you can get cleaned up before dinner and then we can complete the last step in making your padawanship official.”

“What’s that, Master?”

“Giving you a braid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments! I'm sorry this took so long. My city went back into lockdown and I just kind of lost all motivation for everything and then I got sick (not covid just stomach stuff).

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is reydjarinkenobi
> 
> Here is a link: https://reydjarinkenobi.tumblr.com/
> 
> If you want to send me asks with prompts or talk to me in my messages feel free to. Seriously, this is an open and enthusiastic invitation.


End file.
